Update

Two boxes of bulbs arrives on Friday but I was advised not to plant then till the cold snap is over and use sand around them to try and keep them dry so I'm waiting until it's not freezing..

Are they besy stored in the garage or loft though? (where it may still drop to freezing...)

I've been trying to fit electric lanterns to the side of the house and have made reasonable progress but like everything it takes longer than I expected (probably having to stop many times to come inside for a cup of tea it was literally freezing outside) I may post a picccie when I get it working I think it looks a lot nicer...

I also tries putting 6 Blue LED lights (I had lying around) into the solar type lanterns which have given up for winter and wiring it upto a 12v battery but I wasn't too impressed with the color in the garden, I was going to say maybe blue and green don't go but then God made the sky and grass right... anyway I've given up on blue and ordered 5 high powered white LED's from ebay, I've used this type before 1watt is very powerful for LED's so lets hope it's enough to light up the area around each lantern... If they're good I also had an idea to put some pointing down onto my hanging baskets to light them up which may look very nice.... I'll wait to they arrive (from Hong Kong!) and I'll see..

Finally I found out my cat has learnt to knock at the door to be let in. I had problems with another cat so blanked off the cat flap but the outer bit coud still be pulled open and my cat would put his paw out and pull the outer bit back and let go so it would bang like a door knocker - he does it about 3 times then sits there waiting to be let in.

 

Hi
I'd keep the bulbs in the garage. They should be fine there. After all, they will be planted outside and it will get even colder over winter.

I look forward to seeing the lights outside. And what a clever cat you have!

 

That is one outstanding feline! The bulbs are ok anywhere really it is supposed to be ok next week around wednesday so they won`t be left hanging around too long.

Thanks for the update/

 

My mums cat does that too, even when a small window is left open for him and also when the back door is wide open(which he usually walks past then goes round the front of the house)

 

k-lClever Puss
Regarding the lights ,my OH was/is going to put some more up for us to light the bottom end of the garden,we want them low down so they light all the bushesupwards,
He wants to put in coloured lights, but was advised its better to use the plastic paper they use for coloured floodlights (think stage) inside the glass ,as its a much better light and also cheaper.

 

OK some piccies - these are with energy saving floodlights and produce a very white light rather than the normal yellow from most bulbs, it seems nice for lighting up green things but not as warm for floodlighting the patio...


This is the yew tree lit up - I think it looks very good like this..


Yew tree from the kitchen - here the floodlight has to compete with the light inside the kitchen so it's not as impressive but still nice, it stands out more than it does in this photo.


This is the lawn light as you can see it doesn't light up all of the lawn and adjusting the angle of the cover/shroud can't solve this so maybe more are needed though this may create more problems (and cost..)


But it has a problem, when you are walking towards the house the light shines in your eyes - I think I need more of a point source light so I can direct it at the grass without excess light getting everywhere (which is why it blinds you as you walk towards the house)


This lights up the end of the border - I wasn't expecting this to look as good as it does


The end of the border from inside the house


And a bit unrelated got the lanterns finished on the side of the house which now looks a lot better

Some general notes - Normal floodlights don't look very nice illuminating anything green since they are too yellow but the opposite occurs with white lights and everything looks extra green (which is good) . The floodlights i've got are 50w flourescent type but need a large cover making to reflect the light in the right direction like a normal floodlight is directional. Since the floodlights themselves are quite big then the covers are quite big as well, at the moement nothing is wired in permanently and the covers are just cardboard covered in tin foil (eat your heart out Blue Peter).

I haven't quite worked out how I want the lights to come on and what options I need in terms of turning them on or off. I'm thinking maybe it would be best if they come on when the kitchen lights come on, or when the infra-red sensor detects movement i.e. you move out onto the patio or garden. Then there is the problem that to see properly I would probably want my normal 500w halogen floodlight to come one but this drowns out the lights - but not too much, but again I was thinking of adding another 150w halogen floodlight at the other end of the garden as it's a bit dark there but maybe this would drown out the other lights too much?

One final point with the lights on outside it gives a lot of space to the kitchen and other inside rooms since normally it's just black looking out the window which makes you feel more enclosed or confined, this is perhaps one of the nicest things about the lights.

 

That's a good light. Should be great next year for summer and sitting outside as dusk draws in, sipping a glass of wine

 

Cann't be doing with all this light pollution, someone in a garden across from us has a floodlight sensor activated that on and off all night as their kids go in and out it lights up the houses opposite and makes it difficult to do my stargazing.

 

Yup, I'm with Walnut on the light pollution. Shielded hoods and lights pointing downwards, at the very least please.

 

knock on their door and ask them to move it down, I'm sure they probably don't realise it's a problem.

 

Yes good points, I pay a lot of attention paricularly to the 500w floodlight and angle it so that the edge of the light lights up the end of my garden only though, there seems to be a very definate edge to the light it creates. The 50w floodlights (except the garden one) are pointing upwards (ish) lighting up the tree or the end of my border but I will make reflectors/shrouds to put the light where I want it - i.e. on things in my garden but they are not particularly powerful anyway.

 

:thumb: